Grilling Tips for Meat Lovers

I love grilling season. I swear I can smell a steak cooking on a grill from 500 yards – that’s the yardstick measurement of 500, and not the number of neighboring yards that are between the steak and me. Lately, I’ve become more and more particular about eating meat – with quality taking precedence over quantity. This means that when I’m shopping for a tasty cut for the grill, I always pay attention to where the meat is from and how it was raised. Since our stores use the 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating Standards, choosing the meat is so much easier than deciding how to prepare it! With that in mind, here are some tips for grilling and some favorite recipes to help spark your creativity and kick off BBQ season.
Tips for grilling meat:
1.Slash the edges of steaks and chops on the diagonal, about ¼ inch into the center to prevent the edges from curling.

2. Start sausage off on high heat to get a really nice char on the outside and then move the sausage to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking through.
3. Pork spare ribs and baby back ribs can be pre-baked and then grilled to achieve a seriously irresistible smoky flavor...when you don’t have the time to spend a day tending the smoker.
4. Cover the grill when cooking less tender cuts of meat.
5. The best way to ensure juicy, flavorful, perfectly cooked meat is to use an instant read thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the meat. Wait a couple of minutes before reading and follow these simple temperature guidelines:

Whole cuts like steak, chops, roasts and tenderloin should be cooked to minimum of 145°F with a three minute rest time.

Come back for more summer blog posts where we’ll share tips for grilling veggies and other foods. Can’t wait? You can check out our Guide to Grilling for great ideas right now.
What are some of your favorite tips (or recipes) for summer grilling?